Midnight Clad - Angel's gate
by Yed Yeddicus
Summary: Part of the remnants of the Eighth Legion's 5th Company continue to wage war against the Imperium, this particular story follows on just after the events of Eagle gate (Check 40k rulebook for details) Where the deployed crew of the "Mourning Shadow" is forced to fight a Guerrilla war against the Ultramarines and their millennia old nemesis' the Dark Angels.
1. Chapter 1: Running

He ran.

The rain pattered and plinked against his ancient armour, he did not slow.

His Ceramite boots created new impact marks on the dark mud and with each step covered more of his armour in it. His shattered armour clinked and hissed as he ran, his broken winged Helm surveyed the surrounding area.

"Kha'sal!" An amplified voice hissed in his ear.

"What" Kha'sal replied, not slowing his speed.

"They come for us, Kha'sal" The voice hissed again, "The Lion and his cubs come for us"

"I know you fool" Kha'sal growled back, "Good luck, Brother"

Kha'sal looked to his right and saw the slope of the path he was running across, it wasn't too steep and he could easily manoeuvre his way down it. He leapt off the path and landed on one knee, he began to slide expertly down the slope, which sent mud and water spraying around.

He came to a halt at the bottom of the slope and took cover by what he could only imagine was once a cobblestone wall.

Looking back up the slope he spotted the other Night Lord who he had spoken with on the vox. This Night Lord wore a MK II helmet and his armour was damaged in various places.

The other Night Lord spotted him and he too leapt down the slope. This Night Lord however came down with little to no grace and was covered with mud by the time he came to crouch next to Kha'sal.

"They come for us, Brother, Kha'sal of third Claw" The Night Lord said.

"You already said that, Xarthel" Kha'sal kept his eyes on the path he had just come from.

"The Lion" Xarthel said again, "The Lion seeks his revenge, Brother Kha'sal of third Claw"

"Silence, mad one" This time Kha'sal looked at his brother, imagining the face of insanity that lay beneath that faceplate.

Xarthel remained silent while Kha'sal regarded him through his red visor.

Kha'sal turned back to the slope and immediately ducked down lower into cover, still allowing himself to watch.

Upon the path walked five green clad Marines wielding bolters. The one at the front wore a bone white robe over his armour and carried in his hand a plasma pistol. He also had a power sword at his belt. The marines panned their bolters around the immediate area.

Kha'sal could hear the clicks of their helmets indicating they were talking in their own vox channel.

The marines carried on down the path and were soon followed by a Rhino class transport; the storm bolter turret attached to it was manned and also surveyed the area around with the aid of a searchlight.

Kha'sal remained still and silent for two minutes. It was clear.

He stood up to his full height and watched as Xarthel did the same.

"We move?" Xarthel asked.

"I move" Kha'sal growled back.

Xarthel cocked his head slightly.

"I move alone" Kha'sal took a step away from Xarthel.

"Safety in numbers, Brother, that is what the Primarch-"

"The Primarch is dead, deluded one" Kha'sal almost laughed, Xarthel's time within the eye of terror had not been kind, and had lost almost all of his perception of what era he resided in.

"We move together, Brother Kha'sal from Third claw"

"Third Claw is dead' Kha'sal turned back to the other Night Lord, "I am the lone survivor"

"We move together" Xarthel repeated.

"We most certainly do not" Kha'sal's tone turned sinister as he put his hand on the bolter clamped to his thigh.

"Brother" Xarthel's head cocked as he twitched, "We move together, together we are strong, together we can overwhelm the Lion's warriors"

Kha'sal unclamped his bolter and checked the magazine. Six bolter rounds remaining.

"We move together" Xarthel once again repeated.

"Yes Brother" Kha'sal re-attached the weapon to his thigh and beckoned for Xarthel to follow.

The two warriors skulked away toward the tree line of the field they found themselves in, in the middle of which was a large crater that was filling with water.

"_Brothers, be ready to deploy" _

_Kha'sal's throne guards secured around him, he turned to look at the warrior sat next to him. It was Sha'Harl, a rapist back on Nostramo turned hero of the Imperium during the great crusade, turned traitor now._

_The other four members of Third claw filed into the Drop pod and sat in their thrones._

"_Kha'sal" The leader of third Claw's voice echoed around the pod as the doors raised._

"_Yes, Neeghan?" _

_``How many rounds?"_

"_Three magazines, I was told this would be a long part of the campaign"_

"_Sha'Harl" Neeghan's tone turned to a feral growl._

_Sha'Harl grunted an acknowledgement._

"_How many?"_

"_One and a bit" Sha'Harl's repainted Blood Angel helm turned to look at Kha'sal, no doubt he was sneering behind it._

"_Kha'sal give him one of your Magazines"_

_Kha'sal growled and retrieved a bolter magazine from his belt, he held it out to Sha'Harl who snatched it and placed it upon his belt._

_Before Sha'Harl could say anything else the drop pod lurched suddenly as it fell._

"_Once we deploy" Neeghan spoke through their vox network, "We are to reach the Imperial guard's command squads within the city. Without their Command units the rest of their forces will be reduced to rambling shambles" _

"_Affirmed" One of the other warriors, probably Yex replied._

"_Acknowledged" Kha'sal said._

Kha'sal snapped back to the present. They had reached the tree line and he could hear Xarthel rambling quietly inside his helm.

Kha'sal looked through the tree line into the next field. This field was different.

There was an industrial site the other side of the field with smoke emanating from the chimneys.

"Xarthel" Kha'sal said, when no answer was given he turned, "Xarthel!"

Xarthel cocked his head.

"Hnnm?"

"We move, Brother"

Xarthel began to speak, but then just nodded.

Before turning away Kha'sal looked at Xarthel's thigh, a bolt pistol was clamped there and a gladius could be seen hilted at his side.

"How many shells?" Kha'sal asked.

"Eight" Xarthel spoke in a suspicious tone, and for good reason. It was not unknown for Night Lords to turn on one another for weapons or ammo.

"We move" Kha'sal turned and began to stalk into the field. Xarthel followed.

The two warriors reached the manufactorum's wall and Kha'sal pressed himself against it into the shadows.

"Xarthel take cover you fool!" Kha'sal hissed angrily.

Xarthel followed the order and crouched next to Kha'sal.

Kha'sal shook his head and began to move along the wall. When he reached the end of the wall he precariously leant his head out of cover to look out.

Past the manufactorum they took cover at there were three others which created a courtyard in the middle, this would usually be filled with supply vehicles and servitors of variety. Now it was filled with corpses of workers, defiled servitors and directly in the middle lay an eighth Legion drop pod. The doors of the drop pod were open exposing the inner thrones. There was a sudden grinding noise of gears which echoed around the courtyard, Kha'sal spotted the source of the noise.

The drop pod's primary defence weapon had detected a presence and was turning to face him.

Kha'sal quickly ducked back into cover.

"What is it?" Xarthel asked.

"One of our drop pods" Kha'sal did not turn to face Xarthel and listened.

"Why do we delay?"

"The weapon is still active"

"We are of our Primarch's blood" Xarthel stood up, "It will not fire on us"

Kha'sal turned and looked up at Xarthel.

"Go right ahead, brother" Kha'sal half sneered.

Xarthel stomped out of the cover and began walking into the courtyard.

Kha'sal poked his crested helm around the corner again and watched the marine walk. It was then he noticed the body of a fellow legionnaire lying by the Drop pod doors face down in the mud. The weapon inside the drop pod's gears ground noisily again and Kha'sal could make out the weapon. Storm bolter.

"Xarthel!" He yelled.

Xarthel turned but did not stop walking, the storm bolter opened fire.

The mass reactive shells danced around Xarthel, and only when he turned to face the gun he was struck.

A bolt round clipped one of the bat like wings of his helm obliterating it in an instant.

Two bolt rounds struck his chest plate; black liquid sprayed from the impact points and knocked him onto his back with two jerks.

The weapon continued to fire at his limp body for another second and then stopped.

Kha'sal continued to look at the inanimate form of Xarthel lying in the mud.

The Night Lords were not known for their honour, or their comradeship, the only reason Kha'sal would even think about going out to retrieve his fallen brother would be for the ammunition.

Kha'sal turned away from the corner and began to head the along the wall the opposite way.

Around the opposite corner there stood a wire fence, which created an alleyway alongside the Manufactorum. In the alleyway lay two decapitate bodies, most probably menial workers of the manufactorum itself and behind them a door that was locked with heavy chains.

Kha'sal picked the corpses up one in each hand and threw them aside like a child's plaything.

Using his gauntlets, Kha'sal pulled on the chains until they broke.  
He looked at the limp chains on the ground and then to the chains attached to his own belt.

"The same" He thought aloud.

He dismissed the thought and pushed at the door, which immediately fell off of its hinges and slammed to the floor inside.

"Preysight" Kha'sal said softly as he stepped inside.

His helmet's eyes flashed and the room was illuminated in his eyes.

Around where the door was were dozens of bodies, many of which had no heads and were skinned. Around the door's frame were visible scratches in the concrete. Finger nails scratches. These people had realised they could not use the door to aid their escape and had resorted to trying to claw their way out?

"Foolish mortals" Kha'sal couldn't help but give a feral grin behind his face plate at the thought of such terror.

Suddenly the sounds of footsteps became audible.

Kha'sal turned and armed his bolter in one movement. His bolter poised at the door which lead further into the facility, he waited.

The heat vision part of his suit's preysight kicked in and Kha'sal spotted the source of the noise.

Three mortals, a man, a woman and a child who was being carried by the female.

"I see light!" The male yelled.

Kha'sal clamped the bolter back onto his thigh and drew his chainsword.

The three humans turned into the room he was in and stopped, their mouths agape in horror. Kha'sal noticed that they were incredibly dirty and starved, their eyes resised the sudden light, their clothes were torn and covered in bloodstains and they stood motionless.

"Why are you doing this!?" The man's voice cracked as he yelled and he looked as if he was about to break down into tears.

Kha'sal did not answer.

"What do our lives matter? Just please let us go!" The man had tears streaming down his dirty face; "We survived two weeks just please let us leave!"

Kha'sal gunned the chainsword, the loud sound causing the mortals to flinch and take a step back.

The man looked to the woman, she looked back.

"I can't do it anymore, Phebia" He half cried.

"Neither can I" The woman began to cry.

Kha'sal tore across the room, his chainsword screaming its terrible song.

The mortals screamed, the woman dropped the child to the floor.

The child screamed out in protest and began to cry.

Kha'sal slashed in an arc toward the male mortal. The man raised his arms in a futile attempt to block the incoming blow.

The chain-sword bit its way through both of the man's arm's and into his chest, the teeth ground through the flesh until it reached the bone. Kha'sal swiped he blade out of the man and decapitated the screaming woman in one movement, her head twirled across the room spraying blood out like a whirlpool.

Her head finally hit the ground and her decapitated body slumped to the ground. The chain-sword stopped which just left the child 's cries as the only sound in the room.

Kha'sal looked down at the child, it was a male and couldn't be anymore than three years old. It was deathly pale and its eyes squinted at the light from the door. It sat helpless in its mother's blood and regarded him with tear filled eyes.

An idea came to Kha'sal, one that he just might be able to carry out.

Kha'sal knelt and picked up the child in one hand, it wriggled and kicked out in protest as he did.

With the other hand, Kha'sal unclipped the pouch that carried fragmentation grenades (if he ever had any) and began to angle the child into it.

"Saving it for later, brother?" A voice echoed into the room.

Kha'sal immediately drew his bolt pistol and aimed it towards the source of the voice.

"Preysight" He hissed louder than he'd intended.

A large heat signature appeared at the corner, an Astarte.

"No need for that" The Astarte spoke in Nostraman.

Kha'sal deactivated his preysight and saw the Night Lord walk around the corner.

The Night Lord's armour was in terrible condition, wires protruded from exposed parts of the chest, his right leg vambrace was that of a Dark Angel, his gauntlets were damaged but still retained a distinct red and his legionary herald shoulder plate had taken multiple pieces of damage leaving only part of the grinning skull. His helmet still had the crested bat wings that arced back and the skull faceplate grinned back at him. The Night Lord carried a plasma pistol in one hand and a large Chain-axe in the other.

"Jedius" Kha'sal didn't lower his pistol.


	2. Chapter 2: Jedius

"Long time no see Brother Kha'sal" Jedius leant against the wall, which coincidentally allowed him to point the plasma pistol at Kha'sal.

"I thought you long dead" Kha'sal lowered his pistol.

Jedius laughed and also lowered his pistol and holstered it.

"Happy surprise" Jedius removed his helmet revealing his pale and scarred face, his short black hair also allowed Kha'sal to see a piece of metal imprinted upon his brow and his black eyes looked directly into Kha'sal's visor.

"Quite" Kha'sal turned back to the child who he had only just realised wasn't crying anymore, "I assume these mortals belong to you?" Kha'sal also removed his helm revealing his equally pale face.

"They did" Jedius said as he looked down at the gore strewn corpses, "But you stole my kill"

"My apologies" Kha'sal theatrically curtseyed and began to fit the child into the large pouch.

"What do you intend on doing with the newborn?" Jedius cocked his head to get a better look at the infant Kha'sal was holding.

"If we can find a way back to the _Mourning Shadow_, we can use the child" Kha'sal grinned as he finally forced the child into the pouch and he sealed it, "For implantation"

Jedius nodded.

"Good thinking, oh wait no it's not it's the opposite of that"

"How so?"

"The _Mourning Shadow_ is long gone and you know it" Jedius replaced his helm with a dual hiss, "We've been here fourteen day cycles now, do you really expect Serghar to wait around for that amount of time? He was probably one of the first to jump his ship from the system"

Kha'sal also replaced his helm and checked his weapons.

"Also, the child will make noise as we move which could give our position away to the loyalists" Jedius continued.

"The drop pod outside" Kha'sal ignored Jedius' points of view, "Is it yours?"

"No" Jedius shook his head both in answer to the question and at the fact that Kha'sal was still going to keep the child, "It was here when I arrived"

"How long have you been here?"

"Since the defeat at the gate" Jedius' voice turned sour.

"None of the Legion with you?"

"The only legion bloods I have seen since the Gate are yourself and the dead by the drop pod"

"What have you been doing, Brother?" Kha'sal asked.

"Hunting the fools who remained here after the invasion" Jedius' tone turned to a sinister and nostalgic one, "The three you found lasted the longest and to be honest I was toying with them, their fear emanating so beautifully after I killed all the others. Oh my how there were others, there was easily an entire workforce here when I arrived"

Before Kha'sal could put forth another question Jedius spoke.

"And what of your endeavours, Brother? What pray tell have you been occupying yourself with for the past fourteen days?"

"Surviving" Kha'sal half sighed when he spoke, "Third claw got scattered and at least four of them I know to be dead, I linked up with remnants of Eighth claw outside of the city as they fought alongside parts of the Word Bearers taskforce…"

"How'd that work out for you?" Jedius sneered.

"Let's just say that there is no longer an Eighth Claw"

"Do tell" Jedius sneered.

"_Kha'sal!" _

_Kha'sal turned and saw amongst the mass of red armoured Astarte's stood a small collective of his midnight clad brethren._

_The one who had called his name pushed his way through a few of the Word Bearers who swore and hurled death threats after him to get to Kha'sal._

"_Brother, Sha'Tel" Kha'sal gripped gauntlets with the other Night Lord._

"_Thought that was you, Brother" Sha'Tel broke the embrace, "Where is the rest of third Claw?"_

"_Scattered" Kha'sal looked at the ground in shame, "After we eliminated the Guard's Command squads we heard what happened outside the gate, then the Dark Angels rained from the sky"_

_Sha'Tel nodded and beckoned for Kha'sal to follow. He lead him back over to the other Night Lords, six of them, all helmeted and watching the Word Bearers._

"_Eighth Claw seems not to have suffered" Kha'sal said._

"_Unlike the weaker Claws such as your own, whelp" One of them replied, Kha'sal recognised the voice as that of Nixios, he carried a large two-handed Chain axe and his helmet was that of a loyalist. Nixios was a brute with a highly volatile and violent nature even for the Eighth Legion._

"_Enough" Sha'Tel held up his hand before anything more could be said, "We have to decide now"_

"_Decide what?" Kha'sal still faced Nixios._

"_These ruinous power worshipping fools plan on holding this part of the city" When Sha'Tel spoke he had switched to a private vox network just for their ears, "The fools believe with enough bloodshed they can regain their leader, Kor Megron"_

"_Well I don't think there's anything to discuss" Nixios growled, "We leave these whore-sons to their deaths at the hands of the Angels and the Ultramarines"_

"_Who is to say they won't shoot on us when we desert?" One of the other Night Lords spoke in a low monotone voice._

"_Kaltos raises a good point" Kha'sal nodded, "The Word Bearers will be the death of us if we are caught slinking away"_

"_We face certain death remaining here" Nixios looked over his shoulder at a squad of Word Bearers who had been watching them for some time now, "And I don't think these bastards could stop us either way"_

"_They outnumber us at least ten to one you fool" Sha'Tel hissed._

"_They are not like us" Nixios leant his axe upon his shoulder plate, "They are younger"_

"_Faster" Kaltos' monotone voice spoke again._

"_Listen" Kha'sal spoke up suddenly, "I agree with Nixios, we have a better chance faring against the Word Bearers IF they spot us rather than facing the Imperium this day, we must get away from here and back to the Mourning Shadow"_

_The squad nodded and murmurs of agreement clicked through their helmets._

"_It is decided then" Sha'Tel nodded, "We move"_

_Suddenly the surrounding Word Bearers became mobile, in mere seconds the crimson warriors were taking up firing positions and screaming orders._

"_What is happening?" Sha'tel growled into the vox as he drew his plasma pistol._

"_The 2__nd__ Legion! They are here!" a nearby Word Bearer screamed just as a bright flash of plasma obliterated him into ashes._

_Kha'sal looked around him, the Word Bearers were dropping in droves from the sudden rain of Plasma and bolt rounds that were tearing into them. Looking up into the nearby buildings he spotted dozens of Dark Angel tactical marines firing from windows and holes in the walls._

_Sha'Tel turned to the squad._

"_Move!" He pointed towards a nearby building, "To cover!"_

_The squad ran towards the building, bolt shells and excruciatingly hot balls of plasma rained around them. Word Bearers dropped all around them screaming curses and dying. _

_Suddenly Nixios roared over the vox. _

_Kha'sal turned to see Nixios drop to the floor, his leg was aflame with a blue glow and he screamed._

"_Nixios is hit" Kha'sal informed the squad._

"_His bad fortune" Sha'Tel replied._

"_Do any of you hear that?" Kaltos yelled into the vox._

_Kha'sal listened and he heard the distinct noise of engines, dozens of them. He turned just in time to see the sources of the noise. _

_Dozens of black armoured bike mounted marines were speeding through the crowd of word bearers. Their bike's twinlinked bolters tore into the Crimson crowd and were soon reinforced by the riders' chainblades. _

"_Ravenwing!" Kha'sal had fought upon another world against the 2__nd__ Legion and had remembered the experience well._

_Sha'Tel turned just as he was struck by a burst of bolt rounds. He jerked and swore before dropping to the ground._

_Kha'sal sprinted towards the building. He ran past Kaltos as he was struck down by another plasma blast and began running alongside the last remaining Night Lord. _

_They had almost reached the building when suddenly a bolt round struck the Night Lord in the back of the leg. He crumpled and grabbed Kha'sal by the arm._

"_ ." He hissed._

"_Get your hand off me!" Kha'sal turned and kicked the fellow Night Lord in the face sending him sprawling backwards. _

_Kha'sal quickly turned and ran into the building._

_When he looked out he saw his fallen brother sit up and get beheaded by a passing Ravenwing Sergeant._

"_Shit" Kha'sal hissed as he skulked away._

Jedius laughed slowly.

"That is the epitome of our Legion right there Brother. Kicking a fallen brother in the face to secure our own safety"

"Silence" Kha'sal's voice was full of anger and shame.

"It is nothing to be ashamed of" Jedius said, "We can't help how we are, it is the Primarch's fault"

"Do not speak of him in such a way" Kha'sal hissed.

"You show such loyalty to a man who hated us all. It's pathetic"

"He didn't hate all of us" Kha'sal growled as he fought the urge to draw his bolt pistol, "He hated those who corrupted the Legion and dishonoured it, like yourself"

Jedius looked down at his red gauntlets remembering the incident that lead to the Primarch branding him as such.

"I fought on Terra" Jedius growled and Kha'sal saw that his hand was growing nearer and nearer to his holstered Plasma pistol.

"Failed on Terra" Kha'sal sneered.

Jedius drew the pistol and aimed it at Kha'sal.

"Watch what you say Brother"

Kha'sal drew his bolt pistol and aimed at Jedius.

"I never did like you Brother"

The two marines stood with their weapons poised, a tense silence ensued.

Just as Kha'sal thought of pulling the trigger the child began to cry again breaking the silence.

"Shut that thing up" Jedius growled.

"You can if you have the nerve to kill me" Kha'sal retorted.

"You think I wouldn't?"

Just then the sound of the Drop pod's stormbolter firing could be heard from outside.

The two Night Lords broke their stalemate and turned.

"We are not alone" Kha'sal said into a private vox link.

"It would appear so" Jedius grabbed his chainaxe and headed towards the open door.


	3. Chapter 3: We move

Kha'sal holstered his pistol as he watched Jedius exit through the door. He had come so close to shooting Jedius, and this fact sickened him.

The Eighth Legion had never been known for any form of fealty or comradeship; they had always been looked down on for using dirty tactics and lack of unity.

The child inside his grenade pouch made some gurgling sounds which snapped him out of his trail of thought.

"Silence" Kha'sal hissed as he closed the pouch, the child's noises becoming muffled as he did so.

The storm bolter fire suddenly started again; the loud cracks and bangs reverberating into the room, adding to the noise was the audible blasts of a plasma pistol.

Kha'sal ran through the open door and back out into the murky sunlight. Turning the corner which lead back into the alleyway he spotted Jedius taking cover at the end of the wall, the storm-bolter fire had stopped. He jogged along the wall until he was by Jedius' side.

Jedius turned and regarded him with his skull faceplate.

"Come to lend me a hand, Brother?"

"Did you disable it?" Kha'sal growled back.

"I definitely hit it" Jedius leaned over to poke his crested helm around the corner. A few tense moments passed and no gunfire was heard.

"It's down" Jedius nodded and walked out from the cover of the wall.

Kha'sal followed Jedius as he walked toward the disabled drop-pod.

Kha'sal scanned the area and realised Xarthel's body was gone, where it had been all that remained was his bolter.

"Wait" He said.

Jedius stopped and turned.

"What?" He shrugged.

Kha'sal drew his bolt pistol.

"We're not alone"

"No you are not"

The hissing voice echoed around the courtyard causing Kha'sal to quickly turn with his bolt pistol poised.

"I assure you I mean you no harm" The voice spoke again, "Yet"

"Show yourself coward" Kha'sal barked.

"Always so aggressive, Kha'sal" This time the voice was accompanied by the loud thuds of footsteps. The voice's owner revealed himself as he walked from behind a nearby wrecked lifting sentinel.

The Night Lord that appeared wore a skull-faced helmet and had a large jump pack protruding from behind him. He was no Raptor though, he held a large power maul that leant upon his right shoulder and upon his belt hung several bolt pistols. His legs' armour pieces were heavily damaged and one of them was the distinctive Dark green that belonged to that of a Dark Angel.

Jedius lowered his plasma pistol.

"Sawney"

"Jedius" The Assault marine nodded.

Kha'sal lowered his bolt pistol and stepped forward.

"Where did the body go?"

"Our brother's body which you left to die out here?" The assault marine let the power maul fall limp in his hand, the end of it making a loud thump as it hit the ground, "A veteran of the old war, Brother Xarthel?"

"You saw?" Kha'sal clenched his bolt pistol.

"Yes"

"Were you following us?"

"I spotted you as you were walking through the field together"

"Why did you not make your presence known?"

"I neither saw the need or the point" The assault marine shrugged, "I figured seeing as there were two of you, you'd probably betray me for my weapons, but then I saw brother Xarthel fall and you leaving him"

"Would you have me die attempting to save the mad one?" Kha'sal retorted deffensivly.

"Well you'll be glad to know that our dear brother did not perish out here, I dragged him out of the drop pod's firing arc just before you two came out"

"He didn't?" Kha'sal looked around, "Well where is he?"

"Over here" Sawney beckoned for them to follow him.

Kha'sal followed while Jedius began to make his way over to the drop pod.

Behind the ruined lifting sentinel lay Xarthel, he was leaning up against the wrecked hull and looking around. He spotted Kha'sal.

"Kha'sal of third claw" His voice sounded happy.

Kha'sal examined Xarthel and noticed the damage to his chestplate inflicted by the storm bolter fire was no longer seeping blood.

"Xarthel" Kha'sal nodded.

"Brother, I have lost my bolter"

"It's still where you fell, don't worry" Kha'sal turned back to spot the bolter which still lay where they had left it in Xarthel's recently spilled blood.

Jedius reached the drop pod's shattered hull, the paintwork was heavily chipped and ebbed away causing the drop pod's original colour scheme to be seen; the bright and vibrant ultramarine blue lay beneath the dirt and midnight paint.

Jedius crouched and began to examine the Night Lord bodies that lay by the drop pod's open hatches. Three in total, the bodies each had bolt round wounds many of which were in their backs and one had a direct shot to the back of the head evident by the caving in of his helmet and skull.

The bodies had been here for some time and each opening in the damaged armour smelled of rot and decay.

Jedius rolled one of his fallen brothers over and spotted what he was looking for. This marine had several bolter magazines with him as well as his own bolt gun, he also had several fragmentation grenades and a chainsword.

Jedius grabbed the Frag grenades and filled his empty pouches with them, he would call Kha'sal over for the bolter rounds as he had no use for them.

Rolling the next body over he found similar gear, another bolter with two or so full magazines but this time no grenades. And the final body he searched had a melta bomb attached to his waist. Jedius hefted the large bomb from the body and clipped it to his own.

Jedius turned at the sound of multiple loud heavy footsteps. He saw Kha'sal, Sawney and a third Night Lord who he could only assume to be Xarthel walking, Xarthel crouched down and picked up his fallen bolter.

"Find anything Jedius?" Sawney asked, as he walked over his power maul scraped along the floor.

"Couple of bolters and a fair bit of ammo for them" Jedius gestured toward the over turned bodies, "A melta bomb as well"

"They were pretty well equipped" Kha'sal said as he joined them.

"Yes so you may as well take advantage of that" Jedius nodded to the bodies, "Plenty of ammunition and weapons to replace your pistol"

Kha'sal nodded and turned to Xarthel.

"Xarthel! Ammunition"

Xarthel stomped past Jedius and followed Kha'sal to the bodies.

"So Brother" Sawney said to Jedius, "What happened to the rest of your claw?

"They did not fare as well as I it would seem" Jedius' tone had a slight sneer to it.

"All of them perished?"

"I only saw two of them definitely die. Perko and Sha'gri"

"And you abandoned them?"

"We were surrounded by the Guard and the Ultramarine's first company Of course I ran"

"Truly our Legion is devoid of honour" Sawney shook his head.

"But what our Legion is never absent of is warriors like you who think things were ever any different" Jedius snorted before turning and walking back over to the drop pod leaving Sawney alone.

Kha'sal was re-armed and collected every shred of ammunition he could get his hands on. The bolter he had adopted bore defiled sixth Legion iconography and the magazines he had collected awkwardly fitted into it.

"It will be dark soon" Xarthel said.

"We move then" Sawney replied as he walked over to them.

"Where exactly do you all propose we go?" Jedius crossed his arms, "Why do you think I've been here for nearly two weeks? There's nowhere_** to**_ go"

"We can't just stay in one place" Sawney shook his head, "The loyalists will want to get this world back to its usual state. You can't simply hide in a manufactorum forever, they'd find you eventually"

"So we're just going to walk upon this planet forever? Because that seems like such a better idea" Jedius growled back.

"Yes, now walk" Sawney twisted the large Power maul in his gauntlets.

Jedius placed his hand upon his holstered Plasma pistol.

"Stop it you fools" Kha'sal stepped between the two of them, "We move"

Sawney nodded and began to walk. Jedius shook his head and also began walking.

The sky began to darken as the world's two suns began to set on the horizon. Replacing them was a large full moon that's light pierced through the dense clouds and lit up parts of the landscape. The four silhouettes of the Night Lords stalked through the barren wasteland casting large shadows of them as they moved.

The Night Lords reached a large highway and began making their way along the side of it. The highway was infested with craters and wrecked civilian vehicles and rotting and/or rotting corpses were everywhere.

Kha'sal raised his hand suddenly, the other three marines stopped immediately.

"What is it Brother Kha'sal?" Xarthel hissed.

"Listen" Kha'sal hissed back.

The Night Lords remained silent for a few moments aside from the quiet hum from their power armour, and sure enough the distant sound of an engine could be heard.

Kha'sal scanned the road ahead when something in the sky caught his eye.

"Airborne" He spoke into the private vox channel.

"A flyer" Jedius' tone was grim.

"Stay still and let is pass" Kha'sal ordered.

The sound of the engine became louder as the thing in the sky began to draw nearer. A bright blue flyer of some sort zoomed overhead, its twin assault cannons scanning the area as it passed.

"That was no stormbird" Xarthel said in a hushed tone.

"Storm-Talon" Sawney said.

"It has passed" Jedius interjected, "Let's move"

"Agreed" Kha'sal nodded and began to continue his march.

The others followed without saying another word.


End file.
